


Who Will Remember Us?

by Happy45



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24289549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happy45/pseuds/Happy45
Summary: Brett and Casey lean on each other in the aftermath of the mattress factory fire.Alternative 8x01-8x09 fic.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 80
Kudos: 236





	1. Who Will Remember Us? Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I've been re-watching season 8 over the past few days and I really love the first episode - particularly the end - but it always kind of bothered me how they never really showed Sylvie grieving. He was one of her best friends, I imagine she went through a lot as she dealt with it. So this is a little re imagining of an alternative reality. If Brett didn't accept the Chaplain's proposal and stayed in Chicago, how might she and Casey deal with their grief together?
> 
> This will be a two part story - I hope you enjoy part one!

**Who Will Remember Us?**

**Part One**

Tears flooded Sylvie’s eyes as she sat in one of the bay’s at Chicago Med. A doctor was trying to talk to her about her arm. Something about the cast needing to stay on for 3 months, something about not getting it wet – she wasn’t really listening. How _could_ she listen? Her best friend was in a critical condition and she was so afraid. She also hated that her family at 51 were in the waiting room without her.

_“Brett? Brett? Sylvie.”_

She snapped her head around and saw Matt standing in front of her, his face full of worry.

“Are you ok?” he asked as the doctor left and he took a step forward, gently rubbing her good arm.

Sylvie gulped and nodded. She was still in shock, she could barely form the words in her head let alone speak them. The whole day had been an emotional overload. Between saying no to the Chaplain’s proposal to the mattress factory fire – there was no coherent thought in Sylvie’s head. Just pure and utter fear.

She was slightly alarmed – but grateful – for the wave of calmness that she felt when Matt walked over to her. He had barely said anything, but just his presence made a difference. She knew it was rare to find people in life that made you feel like that and right now – she didn’t want to leave his side.

“Can we go to the waiting room?” she asked in a whisper. She needed her family right now and so did he.

Matt nodded his head, “Yeah. Let’s go.” He said as he held out his hand. Sylvie quickly took it as he helped her off the bed. She held onto his hand for the last lingering second before she let go and his hand moved to the small of her back. It was a little guiding touch that she didn’t know she needed in that moment.

They had walked in just behind one of Otis’ doctors and they watched as Boden launched from his chair and walked over to him.

 _“Any news on Otis?”_ they heard him ask the doctor. Matt’s hand moved again to the dip between her shoulder and her neck as she took a step closer towards him, the back of her shoulder blade delicately touching his chest.

The next few moments seemed to pass in a bubble-like quality. They watched as Boden’s face fell – and then they knew. Otis was gone.

Sylvie took in a few laboured breaths as her hand moved to her chest and the tears that flooded her eyes finally fell. Matt closed his eyes and dipped his head, trying to contain his own emotions. He wasn’t afraid to cry – it was just something he’d rather experience in private. He lifted his head briefly to look at Sylvie. She was shaking and trying to control her sobs. He pulled her a short distance closer and rested his lips, then his nose and then his forehead against the top of her head. Somehow, knowing she was in pain was making his pain worse. He couldn’t bare it. He didn’t know what that meant, but he knew now wasn’t the time to address it. Instead, he just let Sylvie lean into him and cry. It was all he could do in this devastating moment.

* * *

A short while later, Boden had instructed them all to go home and get some rest. He knew that nobody would be able to, but it was his duty as chief to tell them to try. They would regroup tomorrow and go forward from there.

Matt didn’t want to let Sylvie go. Not even to the ambo so she could get a ride back to the station. He felt fiercely protective of her right now, and selfishly, _she_ was acting as an unassuming safety blanket for him too.

Foster didn’t even hesitate to tell Sylvie to go with truck. It seemed like the most logical thing when Matt was practically holding her upright. When they got back to 51, everyone skipped a shower and gathered their things, just wanting to get home to their families. Matt briefly left Sylvie to gather a few things from his quarters. When he went back to the locker room, she was sitting on the bench, her bag beside her, just staring into space. He was planning on asking her if she wanted to stay with him, Stella and Severide tonight since Cruz was with Lily, but now he wasn’t even going to ask. The last thing she needed was to be alone right now.

“Come on. I’m taking you home.” He said, breaking her out of her trance as fear fell across her face again. She didn't want to go home. Not by herself. “By home I mean the loft.” He clarified. “I don’t want you to be alone right now.”

Sylvie lightly nodded her head as her face softened, “I don’t really want to be alone either.” She replied. “But I don’t have any clean clothes—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Matt said immediately. He was sure he had a t-shirt and some sweatpants he could spare. He held out his hand to her for the second time that day and once again she didn’t hesitate to accept it. Accepting his hand felt like the most natural thing in the world.

If it felt so right to accept Matt Casey’s hand like this, then Sylvie didn’t want to ever accept anybody else’s – but now wasn’t the time for thoughts like that. So instead she just followed him out of the room, glad to be in his company.

* * *

When they got to the loft, Stella and Severide were already locked away in Severide’s room. Matt dumped their bags at the door and walked over to the kitchen.

“You go take a shower; I’ll make us something to eat.” Matt told her.

Sylvie shook her head, “I’m really not hungry.” She replied. She hadn’t eaten all day – breakfast had been interrupted by the call – but she just couldn’t stomach anything right now. She was fairly convinced she’d throw it back up again.

“I’ll make it anyway, just in case you change your mind.” He insisted. The corner of Sylvie’s mouth quirked up as she nodded in response. “There’s towels in the closet by the bathroom. I’ll leave some clothes on my bed you can wear. Have you got something to cover your cast?” he asked, not wanting her to get it wet and end up back in the ER.

“Yeah, I’m all good” she said as her mouth quirked up a little further. She didn’t understand why she was smiling at a time like this, but his eagerness to make sure she was ok and cared for was giving her butterflies. His heart was so _good._

When she stepped out of the shower a short while later, she was already feeling more refreshed. She walked into his room and saw he’d left some clothes out on the bed. They drowned her a little, but she felt so comfortable. As she slipped the CFD sweatshirt over her head, she took a minute to smell it. It was a mixture of washing powder and Matt. She didn’t think a smell could be so soothing.

She jumped a little when there was a knock at the door.

“Yeah?” she asked as she spun around, trying to act as natural as possible when Matt appeared.

“I—” he began, before taking in her appearance. She looked kind of sheepish standing in front of him, her hair wet and his baggy clothes covering her body. “You pull those sweats off better than I ever could.” He attempted to joke and received a little smile.

“Thanks” she replied with a joking scoff as she sat on the edge of the bed.

“I uh – I was just coming to tell you the food is ready” he told her as she ran her hand through her hair. “But if you’re tired, we could eat in here.” He suggested. It didn’t seem like a bad idea to climb into bed and stick the TV on as some kind of distraction.

“Whatever you want is cool with me” she responded. “… but this bed is super comfortable.” She commented as she crawled up the bed and climbed under the cover, snuggling deeply into it.

Matt smirked, “bedroom it is.”

A few moments later he came back with two plates of food. As he walked towards the bed, it took him a few seconds to realise that Sylvie had her eyes closed. He was surprised. He didn’t think she’d be able to sleep after everything that happened today. He wasn’t convinced he could either.

He set the food down on his chest of drawers before walking to the side of the bed and turning the lamp out. As he turned to walk away, he felt her hand reach up and grab his. He looked down at her and saw she had tears in her eyes again.

“Will you stay with me?” she asked, her voice full of vulnerability.

“Of course” he told her after only a moment of silence. He moved around the bed and lay down beside her. Sylvie rolled over so she was now facing him, her hands resting under her cheek.

They just lay there in silence for a few minutes. It wasn’t awkward, but in a strange way, kind of therapeutic. They could sit and reflect and just be present. Sylvie watched as Matt closed his eyes. She was a little worried about him. He’d spent the whole afternoon making sure that she was ok and not really looking after himself. He hadn’t even showered yet.

“I’m sorry” he grumbled as Sylvie frowned.

“For what?” she asked.

“I haven’t showered yet.”

Sylvie’s eyes widened. It was like he was reading her mind.

Sylvie smirked. “I don’t mind.” She responded sincerely. Right now, he just needed to slow down. The shower could wait.

Sylvie began thinking about the shift that had occurred between them in the past few weeks. It came out of nowhere, but she was so grateful that it had. She’d had _fun_ the past few weeks. Between debating flying to anywhere in the world, to game nights, to teasing him about his bandage – it was _nice_. Selfishly, she was so glad of these moments, because right now, he was a place of solace to her and she wasn’t sure he could have been that if the past few weeks hadn’t have happened. But more than anything, it was refreshing and for the first time in a long time – she had seen Matt Casey _smile_. She hadn’t seen him smile in what felt like _forever_. Even when Gabby was still here, he always looked so conflicted and hurt. 

She didn’t want to disturb his rest, but she just wanted to at least thank him. She knew she could do it later, but she felt the overwhelming urge to do it right now.

“Casey - thanks for making sure I’m ok and not alone.” She said quietly as his eyes opened and pierced through hers.

“I know you could handle it alone, but I didn't want you to feel like you had to.” He told her honestly.

“Being independent is an great thing... but I think knowing when to accept help is even greater.”

And there it was. The difference between Sylvie and Gabby. They were both strong, independent women who could handle themselves in any situation – but Gabby could never accept help. She saw it as weakness, but Sylvie saw it as a strength. _Matt_ saw it as strength, and hearing that Sylvie felt the same made his heartbeat that little bit faster.

“Can I ask you something?” she whispered as Matt nodded and gave her that ‘solemn Matt Casey look’ that she so humorously observed a while back.

“Why is it always the good people who have to die?”

Matt didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have the answer to such a question, he wasn’t convinced anybody did.

“You have to wonder… Lily lost a boyfriend, Cruz lost a brother, we lost a friend.” She rhymed off. “Otis was so _good_ … yet he had to die.”

“I don’t know.” He responded truthfully. “Life can be cruel and unforgiving, and we won’t always have the answers. The pain of losing someone – I don’t think it ever goes away, but the moment you can let yourself feel is the moment you start to become stronger. Something tells me _you’ll_ come out of this stronger than anyone else.”

Sylvie eyed him curiously, “Why do you think that?”

“Because you have a natural joy for life. You always find the good even in the darkest of situations. You’re going to remember Otis and celebrate his life – and I think that’ll be infectious. We’ll all grieve, we’ll all be sad – but we’ll be thankful for the time we did have with a good friend.”

Sylvie gazed at him in admiration. She didn’t think anybody had ever seen her in the way that he saw her. And the way he spoke about the grief they were going to feel – it was sincere and hopeful and just what she needed to hear.

“Thank you” she replied.

Matt smirked, “You’ve said that already.”

“I don’t think I could ever say it enough times.” She responded without missing a beat. “I really miss him Matt.” She said in a shaky voice. Matt lifted his hand and sweet moved her hair off her face before comfortingly rubbing his thumb along her cheek bone.

“I know. Let yourself miss him Sylvie. It’s good to miss people – reminds us that we’re still alive.”

Sylvie wrapped her hand around Matt’s wrist as his hand remained on her cheek. They stayed like that for a few more minutes before Matt moved forward and Sylvie fit snugly underneath his chin, the tip of her nose brushing against his chest. Matt’s arm held her tightly against him as they both closed their eyes and succumbed to sleep.


	2. Who Will Remember Us? Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A re imagining of the events of 8x01.

**Who Will Remember Us?**

**Part Two**

_3 MONTHS LATER_

Sylvie walked into the firehouse with a spring in her step. She’d just been to the doctor’s office and they finally took her cast off. It felt great to be living without the weight on her arm. It also meant that she could start back at work the following shift and she was _more_ than grateful. She’d missed this place and the people there. Although she saw them regularly at Molly’s she often came by to say hi, it just wasn’t the same as working with them.

Despite being grateful to be back, she knew that the 51 she would be coming back to wasn’t the same one she left. She knew they were forever changed by the loss of Otis. _She_ was forever changed by the loss of Otis and the last few months had proven that.

As she walked through the front door she immediately spotted Matt getting some coffee in the lounge. She smiled and skipped towards him. As he turned, he returned her smile. Sylvie had stayed with him for a few nights before she and Cruz plucked up the strength to go back to their apartment. It was an incredibly hard thing to do, but they found some unexpected comfort in being surrounded by reminders of Otis. Matt was also glad that going back had been ok for her, but he really did miss not having her in the loft. They’d basically lived out of each other’s pockets for two days and it felt like something had been cruelly ripped away from him when she left.

Despite this, they’d been spending a lot of time together over the past few months. They’d become the best of friends and they were both so thankful that they had each other. Sylvie had someone who never questioned her waves of grief and Matt had somebody who acted as a soundboard and a voice of reason as he tried to come to terms with the fact that he’d lost a friend and a firefighter. More than anything, however – they made each other _smile,_ and that went a heck of a long way.

“Check it out” Sylvie said excitedly as she waved and wiggled her healed arm around.

“Looks good” Matt said with a little laugh. “What did the doctor day?”

“I have to soak my arm in warm water 20 minutes a day for the next two weeks, but I’m good to get going next shift.” She said happily.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked cautiously. He didn’t want her to stretch herself and end up making her arm worse.

“Absolutely.” She said with a sure nod. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I know, I just – I just want you to be ok.” He fumblingly told her. He didn't want to come across as overprotective, but he needed her to know he cared.

“I know and I appreciate it.” She said with a wide smile. Matt just stared at her with the softest look on her face. “What is it?” she asked quietly.

“Nothing, I just – I’ve missed your smile around here.” 

Sylvie’s beam remained as she let out a little laugh, “well this smile is making a comeback _so_ big that you’ll be sick of it by the end of next shift.” She joked.

Matt chuckled, “Not possible.”

“Ah, Brett” they heard behind them as they turned around and saw Boden walk in.

“Chief, hi. Cast is off, I’m good to go next shift” she told him.

Boden smiled, “Now that is good news. It’s good to have you back. Maybe you can help me convince Captain Casey to fill the slot on truck. It’s been three months.”

Sylvie turned back to Matt, “He’ll know the right fit when he sees it.” She encouraged with a subtle wink as Matt silently nodded his head. He appreciated her support on this one. He didn’t want just anybody to fill Otis’ spot, so he had no problem taking his time.

“Right…” Boden mumbled as he looked between the two. “Casey can you and Severide come by my office? Something I need to talk to you two about.”

“Sure thing Chief” Matt agreed as Boden walked away.

“Well, I am going to go and do a little celebratory baking and if you’re lucky, I might allow you to taste the results.” She teased as she walked backwards.

“What are you baking?” he asked curiously.

“Red velvet cupcakes. Otis’ favourite.” She said with a weak smile. She was determined to live up to Matt’s words to her the night of the fire – she was going to celebrate Otis’ life, even in the smallest of ways.

* * *

The following evening, Sylvie walked into Molly’s and spotted Matt at the bar. She walked the short distance towards him, leaned over his shoulder and set a cupcake down in front of him.

“Guess I _am_ one of the lucky ones tonight” He joked as he picked up the cupcake and looked at it.

“Yeah, don’t show it off too much, I only brought one for you.” She said as she sat down beside him.

“What did I do to deserve this?” he asked as Sylvie nodded at Hermann for a beer.

“For being a good friend. I know this whole thing with Otis feels endless for the both of us but uh – I’m glad it gets to feel endless with you by my side.” She told him honestly. “The least I can do is give you a cupcake” she said with a little laugh.

 _“Wow, wow, wow…”_ they heard behind them as the turned around and saw Severide and Stella arrive. “What’s with this special treatment?” Stella asked as she motioned to the cupcake in Matt’s hand.

“I thought you two were out on a date” Sylvie said with an innocent pout.

“So you thought you could slight us like this? _Unbelievable_.” Stella teased as Sylvie let out a giggle. “Come on girl, we need to have words.” She said as she dragged Sylvie away from the boys and over to Foster.

Sylvie sat down and took her jacket off. It took her a few moments to realise that Emily and Stella were staring right at her.

“… what?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Where are our cupcakes?” Emily questioned.

Sylvie rolled her eyes, “We were talking about them yesterday, it was just a little friendly gesture—”

“Oh _please_. You two have been making googley eyes at each other for _months_ now, can we please stop pretending like we all don’t know it?”

 _“Stella!”_ Sylvie exclaimed as she smacked her friend’s arm in protest. “We have not.”

“Brett” Emily began as she leaned a little closer towards her. “He has been your rock for the past three months”

“And _you_ have been _his_.” Stella added. “You’ve replaced Severide and honestly he’s a little jealous…”

Sylvie let out a laugh and playful eyeroll. “He’s just being a good friend, we both are.”

Emily nodded, “Yeah. You are. But it’s ok to admit that it’s a little bit more.”

“Look, Severide has known Casey since forever and he can safely say that he’s never seen Casey smile as much with someone than when he’s with you. You bring such a light into his life that he's never really had and by the way you look at him – I think he does the same for you.” Stella observed as Sylvie remained quiet and looked at the bottle in her hands.

“Plus there’s the fact that he was _definitely_ trying to ask you out the shift before the factory fire.” Emily added.

“Wait, _what?”_ Sylvie questioned as she briefly glance over at Matt who was talking animatedly to Severide about something. “When?”

“When Ritter tried to insult you. Casey was acting all shifty and we heard that the chief had asked him to dinner with Donna and he needed to find a date. He was totally going to ask you.” Emily concluded.

Sylvie’s mouth fell open slightly in disbelief, “He told me that night that Kyle and I were meant to be together – that doesn’t sound like someone who wanted to ask me out.”

“Yeah because he saw you hugging the Chaplain and jumped to conclusions, so he was trying to cover his tracks. _Men_ , huh?” Stella said with an eyeroll. It was a stupid move on Casey’s part that he would have regretted even more if Sylvie had said yes to the Chaplain’s proposal.

“Sylvie – a lot has happened over the past few months, especially for you. Those sad feelings aren’t just going to disappear but if this whole thing has taught me anything, it’s that we should jump at happiness when it’s sitting right in front of us. Life is way too short to not take that shot.” Emily told her.

Sylvie didn’t really know what to reply, but she didn’t have to – because their attention was drawn to an angry Severide talking with Boden and Matt.

_“This is scape goat time Chief. You know it and I know it.”_

Sylvie’s attention turned to Matt as he dipped his head _, “This is endless”_ she heard him mumble before he threw some cash down on the bar, lifted his jacket and left.

“I uh – I’ll be back” Sylvie said as she too picked up her jacket and darted after the door after him.

“Matt, wait!” she called as Matt stopped, but didn’t turn around. “What just happened?” she asked as she cautiously walked towards him.

“They’re launching an investigation into the fire. Specifically, the call I made to ask you and Foster to come in.” he told her quietly as he turned around.

Sylvie looked at him a little shocked. She knew the paperwork was taking some time on this one, but she didn’t think it would result in this.

“Matt – you are a good Captain. You made the only decision you could in that moment. Even if you hadn’t have asked us to come in, we would have gone in any way!” she exclaimed. “And I will stand up in front of whoever I have to and tell them that.” She said, getting riled up. She would fight in Matt Casey’s corner till her dying day, that much was for sure.

Matt scoffed, “I appreciate that. I do. But – it’s not even about that Sylvie. No matter what way this goes, whether they strip me of my command or shove this into a filing cabinet – I lost a firefighter that day.” He said with a gulp as his eyes watered. “We lost a _brother_ and I don’t want to take that lightly. I don’t want to treat Otis like a pile of paperwork. Where is the humanity in that? That’s not the job I signed up for.” While he hated that he was constantly having to relive that fire, it was how Otis’ memory was being treated that bothered him the most. No firefighter should be allowed to become just a plaque on a wall and a case shoved in a drawer.

“Then don’t let him become paperwork.” Sylvie replied as Matt remained silent and waited for her to elaborate. “You can’t change that the CFD have to jump through various hoops and cover their asses with paperwork; but you can change who Otis is to you. The day Otis died you told me that we had to celebrate his life and honour his work – so do it Matt. Jump through the hoops, but never lose sight of the heart of the matter. Otis was a dear friend and a beloved member of this firehouse. When all of this is over, that is what you’re going to take away from everything you've had to go through.”

Matt gulped again as his mouth fell open slightly at her words. He was trying to hard to be her rock that he could only now really appreciate all that she was doing for him in return.

“Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without you.” He said quietly.

Sylvie smiled softly, “Right back at you Captain.”

* * *

The following shift, Brett watched as Boden, Severide and Casey arrived back from the inquiry. Matt immediately went to his quarters and Boden to his office, leaving Severide to break the news.

_“Casey’s been cleared of all wrongdoing.”_

While everyone looked relieved, and Sylvie was too, she couldn’t help but think about their conversation the other evening. He may have been cleared by the CFD, but his conscious wasn’t. Shoving this case in a desk wasn’t going to change that.

She gave him a few minutes before she trekked through the firehouse to find him. Soon enough, she found him changing into his white polo shirt so he could get back to the rest of his shift. She could see he looked defeated and she wasn’t really sure how she could make it better. She hoped even just being there could make a difference.

“Hi” she said quietly as she approached him. The fact that his face immediately softened at the sight of her didn’t go unnoticed by Sylvie.

“Hey” he replied. “I’m sorry, I feel like your first shift back is being overshadowed by this inquiry thing…” he said as he closed his locker and fixed his watch on his wrist.

Sylvie smiled and shook her head. Of _course_ he would be trying to think of her even after what he’d just gone through. “I think some things are a little more important than that. Besides, I haven’t left you guys alone for the past 3 months, it never felt like I’d left in the first place.” She joked as they sat down on the bench by the lockers.

“Yeah it was really annoying when you kept coming around…” he joked as Sylvie shoved him.

“Watch it…” she teased as her nudged her shoulder before looking to the floor. “Are you ok?” she asked him quietly. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, I just – I wanted to check.”

Matt looked at her for a moment. Everyday his feelings for her grew that little bit deeper. No matter how many times she had been beaten down, she always managed to pick herself up and open up her heart to everyone around her. It was the most admirable thing in the world.

He realised he’d probably been staring for a little too long and turned away slightly before replying, “Yeah, I’m ok. At least – I will be. I’ve jumped through the hoops and now I can start focusing on celebrating and honouring.” He said, repeating her words back to her.

“Hm… who gave you that advice? She must be really _wise._ ” Sylvie joked as Matt smiled and let out a laugh.

“Yeah, she’s pretty great. Probably one of the best people I’ve ever met.” He complimented.

“Well I heard she was only able to give good advice because she’d received it first – from probably the best person she had ever met too.” She replied. She could have sworn Matt blushed in that moment, but he’d turned his head away from her slightly, so she wasn’t sure.

As they were sitting in a comfortable silence, Sylvie couldn’t help but think about what Emily and Stella had said to her a few days ago.

_“Those sad feelings aren’t just going to disappear but if this whole thing has taught me anything, it’s that we should jump at happiness when it’s sitting right in front of us. Life is way too short to not take that shot.”_

Sylvie wasn’t sure what came over her in that moment, but she felt the sudden urge to test the waters of her relationship with Casey. She didn’t want to ruin what they had, but she also couldn’t let the potential of joy in the midst of sadness escape her.

“Were you going to ask me out the shift before the factory fire?” she blurted out before Matt’s head shot around to look at her. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know. He totally was.

“How did you--?” he began, stumbling a little over his words.

Sylvie let out a breathy laugh, “Emily had a feeling.” She replied as Matt merely nodded.

Before either of them could say anything, Ritter came into the locker room. “Hey, sorry to interrupt – Chief Boden wants us all out front.”

“Who does he want?” Matt asked.

“All of us” Ritter replied as they nodded and stood from the bench. Matt walked ahead of her, while Sylvie paused for a minute.

_Take the shot Sylvie. Don’t let another moment pass you by._

“Hey Matt?” she asked as he turned around to look at her. “Will you try and ask me to dinner again sometime?”

Matt lightly nodded his head as his gaze once again softened, “Count on it.”

* * *

_“Who is going to remember us? Is the question most of us who do this job ask ourselves at one moment or another. Who will remember our work after we’re gone? Brian Zvonecek was our brother, our friend, and a hell of a firefighter. He was smart, he was funny, he was kind, he was unselfish, and he was loyal.”_

Firehouse 51 watched as Boden lifted out a helmet and placed it on top of the memorial for Otis. Matt could hear Sylvie breathing a little bit deeper from behind him. He had no doubt that she was trying to hold her emotions in check. He reached his arm behind his back and held his hand open. It was a small gesture, but he hoped it would count for something – and it did. He felt a sense of peace wash over him as Sylvie’s hand discreetly slipped into his.

_“If you see someone – a fellow firefighter, a citizen or a friend – looking at this memorial, I want you to come over here and tell them about Brian. You tell them the story of who he was, the kind of man he was. That way you will bring this memorial to life. Brat, ya budu s toboy vesegda. Those were Brian’s last words and they mean – brother, I will be with you always. I can’t think of a better way to remember Brian. From this day forward, this site is sacred ground.”_

Cruz let out an audible sob as he stepped forward and placed his hands on the memorial. It only took a few seconds for the rest of 51 to follow suit. Sylvie’s hand slipped out of Casey’s and onto his back as they bent down behind Cruz.

They both feared of what would become of Otis. They both feared what would become of their grief. But they knew that this family they had built at 51 would never let those fears slip away into something meaningless. Otis’ memory would live on through this for the rest of the lives and they would always celebrate the life of their friend and their brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your lovely comments! I hope you enjoyed this short little story. Do let me know what you think :)


	3. Who Will Remember Us? Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie finally get round to their dinner date, but not before some important conversations are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since it was requested... I'm going to add another two chapters to this story! I'm very excited to share them with you. I hope you enjoy this first part which is set around 8x07.

**Who Will Remember Us?**

**Part Three**

The following few weeks had been a little crazy in the firehouse. For starters, Brett and Foster had a run in with some prison officers over their mistreatment of an inmate. When Matt heard about how she had handled the situation and how she fought for Isaac, he was so proud of her – and his feelings for her grew that little bit more. They were sitting a Molly’s together the evening that the situation started to wrap up and hearing her talk with such passion in her voice was impressive and captivating. She was a total badass with a heart of gold. Severide had told him that while all of this was going down with Brett, the tech girl that had been involved with installing the new communications system had been giving him googley eyes all shift. But Casey didn’t care – he was too focused on Brett.

While they had essentially agreed to a date a while back, Casey was waiting. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but he was waiting for the right moment to pop up so he could ask her officially. He’d gone to do it a couple of times, but then life just got in the way. He didn’t want to distract her focus from the Isaac case, and then the pandemic hit and then there was the whole hit a run thing, and then the woman’s lounge…

But he had a good feeling about today. He didn’t know why, but he just did. He was determined not to let life get in the way anymore. He’d called her this morning and asked her to meet him down at the waterfront before shift for ‘an emergency’. He realised that was probably a little mean, but in a way, it would ensure she came and didn’t just say ‘I’ll see you at work’.

He sat on the bench at their agreed meeting spot and looked at his watch. She was two minutes late and while it wouldn’t be a big deal to most – Sylvie Brett was never late. He was about to lift out his phone and check if she was ok when he saw her running towards him.

“Hi” He greeted, a little surprised to see her so flustered.

Sylvie rested her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. “Hi… couldn’t get parked… emergency… are you ok?” she managed to get out.

Matt held up a paper back and gave her a slightly regretful smile, “donuts.”

“… are you kidding me?” she asked as she stood up straighter and put her hands on her hips.

Matt scrunched up his face, “These donuts need eaten as a matter of great urgency.” He joked.

 _“Never_ tell a first responder you have an emergency when you don’t actually have one.” She warned as she pouted and crossed her arms over her chest in protest.

“Does that mean you don’t want the donut?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

“… of course I want the donut” she said as she snatched the bag off him and sat down beside him. She opened the bag and smiled softly. “You got my favourite”

“Well I couldn’t just get you down here for any old donut…” he teased as he nudged her with his elbow.

As they ate, they sat in a comfortable silence. Matt managed to demolish his donut a lot quicker than Sylvie. When he had finished, he turned his head to look at her and went to make conversation – but he found himself in a stunned silence. The sun was glistening beautifully against the water which in turn was reflecting perfectly off her bright blue eyes. He was totally captivated by her. He’s always thought she was pretty, but it was only in recent months that he really saw her beauty – in more ways than one.

Sylvie finished her donut and scrunched the packaging up to throw away. It was then she realised Matt was staring right at her. He was giving her that _look_. That sincere look that she’d drunkenly confessed she’d noticed he did a little over a year ago. His look spoke a thousand words and she couldn’t help but smile in his direction.

“Do I have something on my face?” she asked. She knew that his look meant something more than that, but to joke seemed like the easiest thing to do right now.

“No.” he simply replied as he shook his head.

Sylvie merely nodded her head. She looked at him for a few more seconds before turning away. If Matt could be bold enough to look at her like that, maybe she should be bold too…

“So – does this count as our dinner date?” she queried.

“I don’t know… does it?”

Sylvie turned to look at him again – but this time she was determined not to look away. “No. This is a pre-dinner donut.”

“Well then how does tomorrow night sound?” He immediately asked. His moment had finally come.

Sylvie opened her mouth to reply, but then her phone beeped. She apologised and lifted it out of her pocket and saw that she had a message from Ryan, the social worker involved in Isaac’s case.

“It’s Ryan, Isaac’s advocate. He says Isaac is getting released early, this is amazing!” Sylvie said with a bright smile.

“That’s great” Matt said happily. He was so glad that Isaac’s situation turned around and he was so proud of Sylvie for making that happen. “That Ryan guy – he definitely had a thing for you.”

Sylvie looked at him, completely shocked, “He did _not!”_ she protested as she smacked his arm.

“I saw you two at Molly’s, he’s into you.” He concluded. When Matt had arrived to meet Sylvie that night, she was already talking to Ryan.

“Oh yeah, that explains why you swooped in and ended that little conversation I was having – you were jealous.” Sylvie teased.

“So it wasn’t a date then?” Matt asked with a furrowed brow. He wasn’t about to admit his jealousy – his pride wouldn’t let him – so his swiftly turned the conversation around. He had no idea what it was for Sylvie, but maybe he had misread the situation.

“The only dates I want to be going on anytime soon are dates with you.” She replied instantly as Matt’s heart beat a little bit faster.

“Is that a yes to dinner then?”

Sylvie nodded, “Absolutely.”

“Great! I’m cooking”

Sylvie quirked an eyebrow, “You’re cooking?”

“You don’t think I can cook a decent meal?” he said, faking offence.

“No, no, I just…” Sylvie wasn’t really sure what to say here. She was just a little surprised that that is what he wanted to do for her. She expected him to take her out for dinner, but he wanted to cook for her. It felt much more personal and intimate and private – and she loved it. It suited them. Neither of them were particularly into fancy meals or overpriced steaks. “It sounds really great.” She finished as he unconvincingly nodded his head.

“Come on, we better get to work” he said as he pulled her up off the bench, not letting go of her hand as they walked towards their cars.

* * *

“I need to talk to you two about something.” Sylvie said as she located Foster and Kidd behind the ambulance later that morning. “But I need you to not freak out about it and just… be _cool_ , ok?”

“Ok…” Foster said slowly as she and Kidd eyed her curiously.

“… I have a date tomorrow night.” Sylvie said calmly as their eyes widened.

“If you say that your date is with anybody _other_ than a certain Captain then I am _not_ going to be cool.” Kidd made clear, as Foster’s eyes remained hopeful.

“… it’s with Casey” she told then as Stella let out a squeal, getting the attention of the squad table as Sylvie desperately tried to shush them. Stella waved her hand at the table to say that it was nothing. They all smirked, knowing better than to get involved in this trio’s business.

“Thank _god”_ Foster said with a sigh of relief. “I mean, obviously it would be good if you were going out on a date with any nice guy—” she quickly tried to back track, wanting to make sure Brett knew she would support her either way.

“But it’s _Casey_ , Brett!” Stella finished. “You guys have been making heart eyes at each other for so long and you really deserve someone as awesome as him. And he is _beyond_ privileged to be going on a date with you I might add.”

Sylvie silently nodded her head and gulped. Of _course_ she was excited about her date. How could she not be? She had _big_ feelings for Casey, she had for a long time and for things to finally be falling into place – well, it somehow felt too good to be true.

“What’s going on?” Foster asked gently, picking up on the vibe that Sylvie wasn’t happy.

“It’s pretty clear that I screw up everything I touch when it comes to romance and I don’t want Casey to be one of those screw ups.” She said quietly. “Considering what I have been through I don’t want to just date a guy, I want _the one_ and if Casey is the one…” she said, trailing off with a little smile. She loved the idea that Casey was the one. Something about it just felt so right.

Foster and Kidd smiled sympathetically at her. It had been a long time since Sylvie had felt so strongly about someone and she just couldn’t bare it if she screwed this one up. Casey was one of the most important people in her life and losing him would break her.

“You’re not going to screw it up Brett. Casey could be the guy that makes you realise why all your other relationships didn’t work out.” Foster suggested. “And considering all he’s been through he’s not going to want to screw this up either.”

“And if you’re really worried about that – talk to him. Be honest with him from the start. It’s the best thing you can do. You’ve been so open with each other for the past few months – that shouldn’t change now.”

Sylvie nodded her head and looked over at the door as Matt walked through it. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. It had been a while since someone had made her feel like that. With Kyle, things had been sweet, but there was no passion and no fire. There were no thumping heartbeat moments and it was her relationship with him that made her realise that the one should make your heart soar to unimaginable heights – and she just hoped in her heart of hearts that that person could be Casey.

* * *

Sylvie managed to avoid Matt for the rest of shift. There was a brief conversation about how she’d handled the hostage crisis and how impressed he was, but other than that, they’d avoided each other. Well – _she_ had avoided. She was plucking up the courage to talk to him about how she was feeling but she didn’t want to become a blubbering ball of emotions in the middle of the firehouse, so she stayed away so it wouldn’t happen.

As she made her way round to Matt and Severide’s place that evening, she gave herself a pep talk the whole way there. She told herself she was going to be calm and collected and she would be fine. No matter what happened, Casey would always be her friend that that was a valuable thing.

She stood in front of the loft door and let out a breath before raising a fist and knocking it.

“It’s open!” she heard him shout from the inside. She turned the handle and walked in, closing the door behind her. Matt was standing at the island in the kitchen chopping something for their meal. He looked up and smiled at her.

“Hey” he greeted happily. “Sorry I would have opened the door for you but my hands are covered in onion and I didn’t want to gross you out—"

“I have big feelings!” Brett blurted out as she remained frozen by the door. So much for calm and collected…

Matt stopped chopping and eyed her curiously. “… ok?” he replied. He really wasn’t entirely sure what she was getting at.

“I mean, I have big feelings _for you._ Like _really_ big and—”

“Sylvie—”

“Can you not talk just while I get this out? Because if you start talking and doing that thing where you make everything so much better in my world then I will never say this and it will eat at me.” Matt nodded his head and stuck his hands in his pockets, feeling a little nervous about where this was going.

“I don’t want to screw this up. I don’t want this to ruin what we have because you mean so much to me and I think it will be really easy for me to fall in love with you. I think I already have a little bit…” she confessed with a small and awkward laugh. “You are one of the best people that I have ever had in my life and over the past few months you have become my closest friend and I _really_ value that—"

“Sylvie—” he tried to interrupt again as he took a step forward.

“Is that you talking?!” she yelled slightly as Matt gave her an amused look and held up his hands slightly.

“Sorry…”

“… it’s fine I was actually finishing up” she said as Matt looked even more amused. She could never stay even remotely mad at him. Her heart was just too good. “I just – I need to know that you’re in this and it’s not just a little bit of fun for you. Because I have big feelings and they matter.”

Matt looked at her for a few moments. Mainly, he was making sure that he could talk without her yelling at him again, but also – he had found himself watching her a lot lately and appreciating all these little things about her. There was always something new every time he looked at her. Right now, he was picking up on all her nervous ticks. When she’d walked into the loft, she shook her hands in front of her. Now she was twisting her watch. It was endearing and he loved that he was swiftly learning all her tells.

“You could never be just a bit of fun to me Sylvie.” He told her. “I am in this – because my feelings are pretty big too.” He simply said. He didn’t want to give her a big speech right now. He didn’t want to seem insincere and that he was just telling her what he wanted to hear - and he knew by the look on her face she saw how genuine his words were. They trusted each other with everything in them, and that shouldn’t change now that things had officially shifted between them.

Sylvie nodded her head and smiled at him softly, “Ok” she replied as she turned around to hang her jacket up on the coat rack. “Now that my ramble is over, I do believe you promised me an epic dinner—”

While Sylvie had her back to him, she hadn’t heard him move closer towards her. When she turned back around his hands immediately cupped her cheeks as he bent down and kissed her.

Sylvie felt the world around her melt away in that moment. It was soft and it was simple, and it made her heart soar like she knew it should when she was with someone she loved.

_Love._

She knew it was so very early for that little nugget but considering how close that had become over the past few weeks – it really didn’t feel that early at all. She made a note to store that one away for the right time.

He pulled away from her slowly, their eyes remaining closed and his hands still holding her cheeks.

“I did promise you an epic dinner, didn’t I?” he whispered as Sylvie sniggered.

“Yeah, you did and it’s already a lot more than I bargained for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is based around 8x09 and Gabby Dawson's return...


	4. Who Will Remember Us? Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on 8x09

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This is the *final* instalment of Who Will Remember Us? I hope you enjoy this alternative take on Gabby's return.

**Who Will Remember Us?**

**Part Four**

A few weeks later, Sylvie was standing in the firehouse doing the laundry. She normally hated laundry duty, but right now, nothing could bring her down from the cloud she was on. She and Matt were finally getting it right. They’d spent the last few weeks glued to each other’s side and she couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt so happy. Every time she looked at him, she had butterflies in her stomach. It felt like a schoolgirl crush, but from the way he looked at her alone, she knew it was so much more.

She was humming gently to herself when she suddenly felt a pair of hands slip around her waist. She smiled softly and leaned her head to the side, allowing his to slip beside hers, his lips right on her ear.

“Busy?” he hummed deeply in her ear.

“Yeah, this laundry really is a pressing matter I _must_ attend to…” she joked.

He smirked against her ear, “I have another pressing matter that requires your attention.” He replied seductively.

Sylvie gulped and turned around, so she was facing him. His eyes were hungry for her. He moved his hand around the back of her neck, his other hand remaining firmly on her waist. His face was right in front of hers as their noses grazed each other’s.

“I guess laundry can wait” she said with a gulp. Unsurprisingly, she was just as hungry for him right now. Her lips pressed urgently against his as her hands held tightly onto the collar of his shirt to maintain control.

She pulled away briefly to open the closet door behind them and pushed him inside, causing him to smirk.

“Someone’s keen” he teased, despite the fact that he was the instigator of this.

“Just shut up and kiss me” Sylvie replied as he stepped toward – he didn’t need to be told twice.

His lips found hers again, but this time, he was taking charge. He held tightly onto her waist, walking her backwards until she hit the small table at the back of the closet. She tangled her hands in his hair as he deepened the kiss.

A soft moan escaped her lips as his hands moved from around her waist to her behind. Without breaking their kiss, he swiftly lifted her up and set her on the edge of the table. Her legs instantly hooked around him as he slid her to the edge of the table. She wasted no time in removing his white captain’s shirt and ran her hands up his muscular back, arching her own back in a bid to push herself closer towards him.

His own hands were moving under her top too. His lips broke from hers and moved down her neck. In the short time they’d spent together he had swiftly learned all of her pleasure spots and she reacted instantly to him. He was inching her shirt up little bit little as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access.

_“Captain? Hello?”_

They heard outside as Matt groaned. “Ignore it” he mumbled against her neck as she instantly nodded. Whatever they wanted – they could wait.

_“Did you find him?”_

_“No, he’s vanished…”_

_“Well find him – he’s going to want to see this.”_

Matt’s captain mode kicked in alongside Sylvie’s curiosity. Matt sighed and lifted his head to look at her.

“To be continued” he said as he quickly kissed her and lifted his shirt. Sylvie slid off the table, tucking her own top back into her trousers.

“This better be good…” she grumbled as Matt chuckled, making sure the coast was clear before following her out of the closet.

As they walked towards the apparatus floor, Matt began telling her about a recent construction job he’d taken up. It was with a really sweet family and the parents had 5 little girls. He was recounting various tales of seeing 5 vibrant, bubbly girls together and the stories were really making her laugh. She also couldn’t help but smile widely at him. It had been a long time since she’d seen him talk so vibrantly about life. She loved her old partner a heck of a lot, but everyone around them watched as she chipped away at Matt in the last few years of their relationship, so it brought her a heck of a lot of joy to see the old Matt come back.

“What’s so funny?” Cruz asked as they made it to the apparatus floor.

“Oh, nothing” Matt said as he waved his hand. “What’s going on?”

Nobody said anything, instead, they just parted like the Red Sea so they could see out towards Otis’ memorial. They both looked entirely confused as they took a step forward – and then froze, both of their faces instantly falling in surprise. _It couldn’t be…_

Matt briefly glanced at Sylvie with a gulp before looking back towards the doors. He didn’t know what else to do in that moment but walk towards the figure stranding by the memorial – and Sylvie didn’t know what else to do but look at her feet.

He paused once he reached her.

“Gabby?”

She turned around and flashed him a smile. “Hi Matt.”

* * *

Before much else could be said, truck had received a call and had to rush away. Ever the professional, Matt went into Captain mode and focused on the job, despite the potentially explosive personal situation that was waiting for him back at 51. On the drive back, he kept pretty quiet. He could feel Stella’s eyes on him every now and again as she drove. Stella, Emily and Severide were the only three people who knew about him and Sylvie, so he could only imagine what was going through Stella’s head right now.

Once they got back to the firehouse, Stella and Matt stayed behind in the truck for a minute. He knew Stella wanted to say something and he was just waiting for her to say it.

“I know there isn’t really anything for me to say about what could potentially go down when we get out of this truck…” Stella began as Matt remained quiet. “Just – please don’t hurt her.” She begged. She knew it wasn’t as simple as that, but it was all she could come up with to express herself right now.

Matt knew that Stella’s intentions were good – but it frustrated him. It frustrated him that she automatically assumed that he would go out of his way to hurt Sylvie, all because Gabby decided to pop back up. He didn’t have blinders on when it came to Gabby, he wasn’t forever _bound_ to her and he was sure enough in himself to know that that relationship wasn’t good for him and it wasn’t something he wanted to go back to.

They jumped out of the truck and couldn’t help but smile at the sound of the laughter coming from Gabby and the rest of 51. They had all really missed her around here. He listened as Gabby told them she was in town for a fund raiser and that she was needed to schmooze some investors. He couldn’t help but notice that Sylvie was deliberately avoiding making eye contact with him. He was staring straight at her and he caught her glancing at him a few times, but nothing prolonged. She was clearly on edge.

“Come on guys” Sylvie said when there was a lull in the conversation. “Let’s give Casey and Gabby some time to talk.”

_Casey._ She hadn’t called him Casey in a long time – only when on the job or when she was frustrated. On her way back onto the firehouse, her shoulder brushed passed his chest and he could practically feel the tension radiating off her body. He wanted nothing more than to just turn her back around and hold her and tell her that he – well - that he _loved_ her. Because he did. He _really_ did. He’d been holding on to that confession because he didn’t want to freak her out, but it was the truth – and he didn’t want to hold back anymore.

* * *

While Matt spoke with Gabby outside, Sylvie walked through the hallways of the firehouse with Emily and Stella on her tail.

“Girl” Emily said as she put her hands-on Sylvie’s shoulders. “You need to lower your shoulders you’re going to pull a muscle with all this tension.” She said as he pushed Sylvie’s hunched shoulders down.

“I feel _terrible_ ” Sylvie confessed as she turned to look at her friends and nervously shook her hands in front of her.

Emily and Stella frowned, “What do you have to feel terrible for?” Emily asked.

“Not 2 minutes before Gabby rocked up at 51, I was acting like a horny _teenager_ in the laundry closet with her ex-husband.” Sylvie said through her teeth.

“First of all – right on.” Stella said with a wink as Sylvie groaned and rolled her eyes. “Second of all - _ex-_ husband. You have every right to make out with Casey in the _lounge_ if you want to!” she exaggerated. “Look, I know it's in your nature to always think of others and we love that about you – but you shouldn’t feel terrible about anything. Love is not something to be ashamed of.”

Sylvie crossed her arms and looked at her feet, “I don’t want to hurt my friend… but I also don’t want to have to apologise for loving him. Not when it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” She confessed.

Emily smiled at her softly, “Nobody is asking you to apologise. Don’t stuff your feelings away for the sake of others.”

“This isn’t just about me” Sylvie added. “I’m not going to be a footnote in somebody else’s love story.” She said quietly. Emily and Stella soon clicked on that Sylvie maybe wasn’t so concerned with herself, but rather with what was going through _Casey’s_ head. It was evident that she felt his heart maybe lay elsewhere and she was just a bump in the road.

“You are _not_ a footnote—” Stella began.

“I would rather be alone than someone’s consolation prize.” Sylvie added.

“Do you really think that’s what you are to him?” Emily asked in disbelief. She knew she didn’t know Casey when he was with Gabby. What she did know, however, was that she had never seen anybody look at _anybody_ the way that Casey looked at Brett. He was totally _smitten._

“I saw his face when he saw Gabby by Otis’ memorial.” Sylvie reasoned.

Emily nodded her head, “Yeah. And I also saw him staring at _you_ the entire time Gabby was talking about why she was here. I know you think that he holds all the power here, but he doesn’t. His heart is more fragile and more yours than you think.”

Before Sylvie could respond, Matt appeared at the end of the corridor. He held back from walking towards her, but Stella and Emily could tell he was itching to talk to her. They gave her an encouraging smile and a wink before disappearing and allowing Matt to go to her.

“Hey” He said softly as she said hi back. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s so strange, we just picked right back up like nothing had changed. She seems to be doing really well” Sylvie said positively. Even though she was feeling anxious and a little insecure, she still cared deeply about her former partner and she was so glad she was thriving in Puerto Rico.

Matt nodded his head and shifted uncomfortably.

“What is it?” Sylvie asked. She had learned to read him like a map over the past few months. She could instantly tell something was bothering him.

“She wants me to go to her charity thing with her tomorrow.” He told her as Sylvie didn’t say anything. She wanted to beg with him not to go, but she didn’t think that was fair. This was Dawson they were talking about. Sylvie had been there for all of their huge, romantic moments. It was only natural that she was concerned about being second best. “I was in the middle of telling her no and she cut me off, said I should think about it.” Matt told her.

“You should go” Sylvie blurted out as Matt looked at her _entirely_ confused.

“What?”

“She’s only here for a few days, you should make the most of it. You don't want to regret not seeing her.” She told him with a sad smile.

_Self-destruct mode activated._

“Sylvie, I –”

Before Matt could continue, Sylvie turned and walked away. She wanted to put herself first for a change, but she just _couldn’t_. It wasn’t in her nature. She wanted Matt to be able to make whatever choice he wanted to make without worrying about her. She drew in a deep breath to try and contain her emotions before turning into the lounge with a smile on her face.

“Well?” Emily immediately asked as Sylvie sat down beside her.

“I told him he should go.”

“What the hell Brett?!” Emily said through her teeth as to not draw attention to her.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Sylvie said as her voice shook. Emily could see the tears forming in her eyes and nodded her head, realising it would be best to drop it for now.

Emily looked up a few moments later as Matt came into the room. He looked _tense._ Whatever Sylvie said to him had clearly bothered him.

“Hey Cap – great to see Dawson again, huh?” Hermann asked as he suggestively patted Matt on the arm.

Matt clenched his jaw, “Yeah.” He merely replied.

“She mentioned she was going to invite you to her fundraiser thing. You’re going to go, right?” Cruz asked.

“Obviously he’s going Cruz, it’s Dawson, he should take whatever time he can get with her!” Mouch reasoned.

Stella stood by the kitchen island and watched as Matt got angrier after every comment that was made and Sylvie got sadder. She wasn’t about to out her friends for their new found romance, but she also didn’t feel like she should let this go defenceless.

“Guys – I don’t think Casey needs you telling him who he needs to be spending time with.” she reasoned as Matt shot him a grateful glance.

“… but it’s _Dawson_. What they have is kind of incomparable—”

“Did it ever occur to any of you that I just wanted to move on from that relationship?” Matt snapped as everyone fell silent, a little taken aback by Casey’s outburst. They’re normally calm and collected Captain had flipped a switch and they had a funny feeling he wasn’t done there. “Gabby left me, and she made me feel really terrible by the end, so no it's not an incomparable epic love story.” He told them vaguely. The details of their split had been kept pretty quit in the firehouse, so he knew this was probably new and alarming information. “Yes, she will always be someone really important to me but we’re not Dawson and Casey anymore, ok?”

Everyone silently nodded their heads. Nobody was sure how to take Casey’s outburst, _especially_ Brett. She just kept her head down, determined to get through the day without worrying about it – though she had a funny feeling that wouldn’t be possible.

* * *

The rest of shift had been a fairly slow one. Matt went to OFI to help Severide and Seager with a case and Brett and Foster tended to a girl who had an eyeliner pencil in her eye. Most of all, Brett and Casey _expertly_ avoided each other. They felt like the talk they needed to have would be best done outside of the firehouse. So, for the rest of shift, it was just stolen glances and awkward work talk.

The following morning, just as Matt was about to suggest to Sylvie that they talk, Stella had a car accident. She was fine, but it was a huge wake up call to her about burning the candle at both ends. The chaos meant that Matt and Sylvie didn’t have the chance for their talk that morning and then Matt had to go to a construction job, delaying things further.

Sylvie didn’t really feel like going home that afternoon. She didn’t want to just sit around and wallow over what she’d said to Matt during shift, so she spent the day wandering around Chicago. Sylvie soon found herself at the lake front. Specifically, she found herself at the spot that she and Matt had eaten donuts a few weeks ago. It was an absentminded move, but she felt really calm while she was here, though she wished he was here with her.

It only took being there a few minutes for Sylvie to realise that what she said was a huge mistake. It was one thing to put other’s feelings before her own, but it was an entirely different ball game to dictate their feelings to them. She didn't even give him a chance to talk. She felt so _guilty_ and more than anything – she just wanted to say she was sorry. She realised that avoidance was no longer than answer and if she was going to stop him and fight for this then she needed to go and find him _now_.

She turned on her heel and went to move quickly, but was immediately stopped in her treks by a figure standing behind her with his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Going somewhere?” he asked as Sylvie jumped slightly and placed her hand over her heart.

“Yeah…” she said as she let out a breath “to see you”

Matt grinned, “That’s funny, cause I’m here to see you.”

“How did you know I would be here?” she asked with furrowed brows.

“I went by the apartment and you weren’t there. This was my next guess.” He said with a shrug. He also found this spot calming, and he had a hunch she felt the same.

“Matt, before you say whatever you wanted to say - I owe you a really big apology.” Sylvie began. immediately. She didn't want to waste time on awkward small talk and lose the courage to say what she wanted to say. If Matt was going to dump her, she wanted him to dump her with all the facts – she regretted what she said. _Big time_. In no way should she have encouraged him to go.

Matt shook his head, “No you don’t—”

_“Yes, I do_. I basically dictated your feelings to you and that wasn’t fair. You deserve better than that, you deserve to be free to feel whatever you want to feel without people pushing you in a certain direction and the _last_ person you needed that from was me.” She rambled, stopping herself when she realised she probably wasn’t making much sense. “Point is – I shouldn’t have told you what to do and I shouldn’t have walked away from you and I’m sorry.”

“I don’t blame you for walking away.” He made clear as Sylvie eyed him curiously. How could he be so understanding about it? “You had a front row seat to me and Gabby, so I get that it’s hard to believe that my heart is not with her anymore… it hasn’t been for a long time. So, no. I’m not going to go to the charity ball thing.”

Sylvie perked up in surprise, “Really?”

“Yeah…” he said with a lopsided smirk. “Why would I go there when I can be here with you?”

Sylvie gulped, her insecurity beginning to rear its head again. “Matt… I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything and _I_ don’t want to feel like second best.”

“I have never thought of you as second best. You’re not some sort of back up plan, you’re _the_ plan.” He said as she stepped forward and took her hands in his. “You’re the _only_ plan and _I love you.”_ He confessed as Sylvie looked at him, entirely stunned. “I don’t want to freak you out by saying that but – it’s the truth. Over the past few months, we’ve leaned a lot on each other to get us through our grief and frustrations and it made me realise that I want to go through _everything_ with you. Grief, frustration, fear… but also moments of joy and peace and even the mundane. You’re the _only_ person I want share it all with.”

“You- you love me?” Sylvie mumbled in amazement. This was not how she expected this conversation to go. Gabby was right there, standing in front of him – but he chose _her._

“Yeah. I really do.” He said with a little laugh. “It’s not something I throw around lightly after everything we’ve both been through so… I love you. Very much. I know I’m not this perfect guy who has everything together, but—"

Sylvie beamed before leaning forward and cutting him off with a kiss. She’d never felt kisses like his. Somehow, it made her feel complete. She pulled back slightly so they were a breath apart, his eyes burring into hers with such intimacy.

“You’re the perfect guy for me Matt Casey – and I love you too.”

Matt smiled widely. Wider than he had smiled in a very long time. Today he felt like there was a choice placed on his lap – Gabby or Sylvie. But it wasn’t a choice. Not even close. His heart was screaming for Sylvie and he knew she was the one for him, and he knew he would love her until his last breath.


End file.
